Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor component having at least one microstructure being an optoelectronic component.
Optoelectronic communications technology nowadays makes use of microstructures, such as e.g. laser diodes, which have a considerable cooling requirement and require an integrated circuit as a controller device. Other active or passive electronic components or else microstructures from the field of biotechnology (e.g. biochips) also frequently need to be cooled.
Such microstructures can be cooled by convection or thermal conduction. In the case of convective cooling, a gas stream is brought into contact with the microstructure to be cooled. In the case of cooling by thermal conduction, a heat sink is connected to the microstructure to be cooled. Such a heat sink may contain e.g. a Peltier element known per se.
Published, Non-Prosecuted German Patent Application DE 198 45 104 A discloses a thermoelectric transducer produced in a sandwich configuration. The transducer has a series of thermoelement cells, which are connected in series by a common interconnect. Such a transducer can also be used as a heat sink for optoelectronic components.
In optoelectronics and in other fields, the microstructures are becoming smaller, so that a higher integration density, in particular also for cooling elements and controller devices, is desirable.